![]() In 1998, the organization celebrated its international centennial, which was hosted in the City of Las Vegas, Nevada – one hundred years – since their founding. The Elks is the largest predominately Black, fraternal organization in the world, and boasts a membership of over 450,000, with Lodges and Temples in the United States, Canada, Mexico, West Indies, Panama, and the Bahamas. This group was later adopted by the Grand Lodge and became an auxiliary body to the Brothers of Elks. On June 13, 1902, Emma Virginia Kelly Organized the Daughters of Elks in Norfolk, Virginia. As the Elks prevailed, the organization struggled against many racist attitudes and legal efforts to deny the existence of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World. Their dreams and plans were realized when the first Lodge, Alpha Lodge No. A Pullman porter Arthur James Riggs, and Benjamin Franklin Howard, who were both members of another fraternal organization, met in that city, and they discovered that they both had a dream of forming an Elks organization for people of color. While most people know of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, lesser known is their African American counterpart, the Improved and Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW.)Īccording to their website “The Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World were granted a copyright as an organization September 28, 1898, in Cincinnati, Ohio. It’s important to note, that just like in Freemasonry, there were often Caucasian animal Lodges operating along side their African American cousins. After a review of materials used and the type of embroidery, this fez probably was manufactured before 1940. The tassel is yellow and is of standard length. The letters spell out “FOO” for Fraternal Order of Orioles. It is made of black felt, with the emblem of an Oriole embroidered on it. The Orioles were not known to wear fezzes, so it was quite a suprise to come across this piece. This fez was found in an antique shop in upstate New York. The FOOs watchwords are liberty, integrity, fraternity and equality spelled out as “LIFE” on the Orders emblem. The organization practiced an Initiatory Degree for new members there was also a Supreme Degree and an Invincible Degree, both awarded by the Supreme Nest. Today, records indicate they operate out of Reading, PA. At one time, the Orioles had a large headquarters building in Buffalo, NY. The leader of the Order is the Supreme Worthy President. While membership has waned, there are currently more than 50 local “Nests” still operating in nine states. The Fraternal Order of Orioles was founded in Rochester, NY, in August 1910.
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